Major League Baseball's offseason is officially underway, and a ton is expected to happen in the coming weeks with the current collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association set to expire on Dec. 1. 

A handful of big moves are expected before the expected lockout, and the Los Angeles Dodgers will likely be at the center of it all.

To no one's surprise, the Dodgers are expected to be big players this winter. While that is the expectation, they already lost many of their own players to free agency.

The most recent one that came up on the transaction log is right-handed relief pitcher Yency Almonte, who was in his second stint with the organization.

Almonte will hit the open market after he missed all of the 2026 season due to an injury. He spent the entire 2026 season with the Dodgers, but was placed on the full-season injured list, ruling him out for the season without appearing in a game. 

Almonte last pitched in the majors for the Chicago Cubs in 2024. That season, he posted a 3.45 ERA, 20 strikeouts and allowed a .161 opposing batting average. The right-handed pitcher went 1-0 and recorded six holds and one save in 15.2 innings. 

Prior to his lone season with the Cubs, Almonte spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons with the Dodgers. 

The veteran relief pitcher appeared in 82 games for the Dodgers. He went 3-2 with a 3.35 ERA, 82 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP.

In his career, Almonte has a 4.44 ERA and 216 strikeouts in 213 games.

Dodgers Lose Yeiner Fernandez to Free Agency

In addition to Almonte, the Dodgers also lost catcher Yeiner Fernandez to free agency. 

Fernandez has spent his entire career with the Dodgers organization. The 24-year-old hails from Venezuela and started his professional career in the Arizona Complex League. 

He spent a few months there before being promoted to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Dodgers' Low-A West affiliate.

Since then, Fernandez has bounced around between the Great Lakes Loons, Glendale Desert Dogs and the Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers' Double-A affiliate.

In six minor league seasons, Fernandez has a .272 batting average with a .727 OPS, 24 home runs, 223 RBIs and 458 hits in 1,683 at-bats and 443 games. 

In 2024, Fernandez was ranked as the 28th-best prospect for the Dodgers. 

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